Grant Jr. and former Wing great Gait come to Wachovia Center as Wings host Rochester

Two of the National Lacrosse League’s all-time leading scorers, John Grant, Jr., and former Wings great Gary Gait, will lead the Rochester Knighthawks into the Wachovia Center to face struggling Philadelphia in a National Lacrosse League game tonight at 7 p.m.

Grant Jr., whose father, John Grant Sr, played for the Wings from 1974-75 and again in 1987, is sixth on the all time list with 853 points (412G, 441A). Gait, a former Wings All-Pro, is second on the all time list with 1,147 points (628G, 529A).

“I definitely get extra fired up when we play the Wings, especially in their barn,” said Grant Jr. “The infamous Philly fans are relentless, and are always in my kitchen. I have relished the few times we have quieted that place.”

The Knighthawks (4-3) are currently second in the NLL’s Eastern Division. Grant Jr. leads the Knighthawks with 42 points (18G, 24A), followed by Shawn Williams with 27 points (7G, 20A). Gait has 19 points (10G, 9A). Rochester has used two goalies in its seven games. Pat O’Toole has a goals against average of 11.03 per game and Aaron Bold has a goals against average of 10.58.

The Wings, (1-5) are currently sixth in the Eastern Division in the NLL and 1-2 at the Wachovia Center. Kyle Wailes leads the Wings with 25 points (10G, 15A), followed by Drew Westervelt with 23 points (10G, 13A) and Mat Giles with 22 points (9G, 13A). Wings goalie Brandon Miller is second in league with 221 saves on the season.

“Our guys can all do the math” said Wings GM and coach Dave Huntley. “We’re 1-5. We’ve got to get a win. I have confidence the guys on our team know that and will give a good effort.

“We have a defensive scheme that we try and execute every game. Obviously they have some very talented guys and there is a lot of weapons there. I think the biggest key for us will be to stay out of the penalty box and if we don’t make any unnecessary fouls we should be in good shape. We just can’t take penalties and give them power play goals.”

Knighthawks head coach Paul Gait said, “You can never take a team lightly, even if it’s 1-5 in this league. They want to win as much as anyone in the league and on any given night if they put in the right effort they are just as dangerous as a 5-1 team.

“We will make an adjustment to our travel schedule and get in the night before, so we are hoping that makes a difference. This should give the guys some time to focus all day prior to the game. Other than that, we just need to stick to the game plan we’ve had all year and the way we execute at home, we need to do that on the road.”

The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive rally towels provided by Lampire Biological Laboratories, located in Pipersville, Pa.